Ashwin's Bold Challenge to Pant: Convert Centuries to Double Hundreds, Gambhir Prioritizes Team Wins

Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has made a passionate appeal to Rishabh Pant, urging him to convert his centuries into double centuries. This comes ahead of the second Test against England, scheduled to begin on July 2nd in Birmingham.

Pant showcased his batting prowess in Leeds, scoring centuries in both innings. Despite his individual brilliance, India suffered a five-wicket defeat.

"Rishabh had a fabulous game as a batter. I would like to repeat that Rishabh has got a great defense. There is not a single shot in the book that he cannot play," Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat.

Ashwin suggested that coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill should advise Pant to aim for double centuries when he surpasses the 100-run mark.

"I sometimes feel if I were Gautam Gambhir or Shubman Gill, I would take Rishabh Pant aside and say, ‘Bhai, tune kya batting kiya hai, kamaal ka batting kiya tune’ (Brother, you’ve batted brilliantly). I would love to be a batter with the kind of ability you have. But can I request you to make a double hundred next time when you're batting on 130?" Ashwin elaborated.

He further added, "You know we won’t get much contribution from the lower order, so please take the team to the last wicket. But what a fabulous batsman, what a fabulous cricketer, what a talented player."

In contrast, India head coach Gautam Gambhir appeared less focused on individual achievements. When questioned about the positives from the first Test loss, he emphasized the importance of results, which the team failed to achieve.

When asked specifically about Pant's performance, Gambhir gave a concise response: "There are three more centuries as well. Those are big positives too. Thank you."

Expanding on the positives, Gambhir noted, "I would have liked if you said there was a hundred from Yashasvi (Jaiswal), a hundred from Shubman (Gill) on debut as captain, a hundred from KL (Rahul), and two centuries from Rishabh. So, five centuries in a Test match is a great start, to be honest. And hopefully, the question could have been better."